Montana History

Montana State Flower - Bitterroot

The United States acquired the area of Montana from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and by a treaty with Great Britain in 1846. Montana Territory was organized from the northeastern part of Idaho Territory on May 26, 1864, with generally the same boundary as the present state.

Census data for Montana are available beginning with the 1870 census. The 1860 census population in present-day Montana was included in unorganized Dakota, although legally the area was within Nebraska and Washington territories. The portion of Yellowstone National Park in Montana was probably enumerated as part of Wyoming from 1880 to 1910.

Data for the legally established state of Montana are available beginning with the 1890 census.

Montana Geographical Areas

Counties & County Equivalents

There are 56 counties in Montana. Two counties are not considered to be functioning governmental units because each has consolidated its functions with an incorporated place. Deer Lodge County and Anaconda-Deer Lodge County (place) are governmentally consolidated. Silver Bow County and Butte-Silver Bow (place) are governmentally consolidated. The remaining 54 counties are each governed by a county board of commissioners.

Yellowstone National Park was deleted as a county equivalent when its area legally became part of Gallatin and Park Counties on November 7, 1997.

EXTREMELY LOCAL Demographic Data

Address Based Hyperlocal Data

Input an address and get data & demographics for the pertinent census block group (CBG), a searchable map and a customized directory. The CBG is the smallest geographical unit used by the Census Bureau for reporting demographic data.

State Legislative Districts

There are 50 state senate districts and 100 state house districts in Montana.

American Indian Areas

Montana has eight federally recognized American Indian areas. There are seven reservations, six with off-reservation trust lands. There is also one off-reservation trust land associated with an American Indian reservation in a neighboring state.

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